Akie Abe’s Tears

Akie Abe, the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is a daughter of Akio Matuszaki, a former CEO of Morinaga & Co., one of Japan’s largest confectionery companies. She worked for Dentsu, an advertising firm in Japan, after college graduation and married the prime minister, a son of former Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe, in 1987. Their marriage, which was known to be arranged by former Prime Minster Takeo Fukuda, attracted much media attention as a union of two eminent families from politics and business circles.

Ms. Abe is highly interested in the Korean Wave. She started learning the Korean language after being mesmerized by Korean drama "Winter Sonata," and now can have simple conversations in Korean. It is famous that she recited a poem from a Korean text book during her visit to Gwanghui Elementary School in Seoul when she came to Korea with her husband and then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2006. She is also known as a fan of Korean actors Bae Yong-jun, Park Yong-ha and Lee Byung-hun. She has even stayed in the hotel where Bae stays to meet him in Japan.

On Sept. 21, the "Korea-Japan Festival" took place in the Hibiya Park in Tokyo. Ms. Abe said to the Korean officials in the festival, including Korean lawmaker Kim Tae-hwan and Ambassador to Japan Lee Byung-kee that “it is regrettable that people on the Internet leave malicious postings on my participation in Korea-related events. It seems people do not believe my sincerity.” It is said that she got almost tearful when saying this. Regarding some anti-Korea people in Japan blaming her for watching a Korean musical (in May) and participating in the Korea-Japan Festival, she stressed the importance of improving Korea-Japan relations in her interview with Jiji Press on Sunday by saying that “blaming on each other only continues the vicious circle.”

Since Prime Minister Abe took office again in December last year after he resigned from the post in September 2007, the Korea-Japan relations have been strained. Although it is largely due to the Japanese leadership including the prime minister who does not face historical issues squarely, protracting such frosty relations is undesirable for both nations. What is also concerned is that the foothold of people who objectively understand each other’s situation weakens in their own country. It might be difficult for Ms. Abe to give an influence to her husband’s historical awareness. However, it might be reasonable to expect that the prime minister do not let his wife get tearful again over the strained relations between two nations.

Editorial Writer Kwon Sun-hwal (shkwon@donga.com)